The farewell party ended after everyone hugged Lydia and said kind words to her. I approached her and smiled as I saw her crying. My best friend hugged me while calming herself down.We stayed in the room, watching the restaurant staff clean up the tables and collect the leftover food. They separated the food from the snacks. They gave Lydia boxes of food and bottles of drinks.Enzo asked the security guard to distribute the food and drinks to the employees working the night shift. Since Lydia had calmed down, we left the room and headed to the locker room. It was time to get ready for our performance.When I opened the locker, I saw the shopping bag. The room was empty because the other dancers were in the bathroom. I might not have another chance to give it to her without anyone seeing us. I took it and approached my friend.“Lydia,” I handed her the bag, “this is for you.”The woman looked at the shopping bag and me. “What is this?” she asked.I held her hand and gave her the bag.
[Darcy]Scott overreacted last night. After experiencing a shooting and a helicopter crash, I wasn't afraid of a similar situation. If I showed fear, Sinclair's enemies would make me their punching bag.I locked my door before going to bed. Sinclair was stubborn at Savannah's wedding reception. I didn't care if people called me a liar. He shouldn’t have come and announced our marriage by sitting beside me or dancing with me.That declaration wouldn’t change my mind. I wanted us to divorce. Therefore, Sinclair had to train himself to sleep in his bedroom and stop coming to my bed. Unfortunately, he managed to get into the room. I didn’t know how he could open the lock from the outside when there was a key stuck inside.“Which one of you opened my bedroom door last night?” I asked Scott and Rocco.The two men exchanged glances. “We’re not boss’s assistants or bodyguards,” Scott replied. “He might have asked Neil for help.”“Damn it,” I muttered.“After the boss kept entering your apartm
Neil came with a straight face, but I saw him smiling as he unlocked the door. After turning the knob, he gestured for me to go in. I signaled with a shake of my head for him to leave.My hunch was accurate. Marriage only added problems and ruined the peace of my life. Darcy locked her bedroom door. Did she think I didn't have a spare key? I took a deep breath before entering the room.Seeing that she was asleep, I pushed aside my annoyance. Darcy knew Cullen had left her a large sum of money. Therefore, she didn't need me to pay off her debts. Fortunately, I hadn't felt like touching her for the past few days.“Good morning, Dad!” Dashiell greeted me in my bedroom.“Good morning.” I ruffled his hair as he hugged my legs.“We made lots of cookies yesterday, Dad! Bran gave Boyd and me some cookies before dinner. They were delicious! My friends will love them!” he said.“Good job. Come on. Let’s have breakfast. We have a lot to prepare before we go there.” I took his hand. His dog ran a
[Sinclair]“Do you really want to have a mother and brother? I asked, stalling for time.“Yes, Dad. You work every day and don’t play with me. If I had a mother and brother, I would have friends at home,” he answered.I looked around us. There were twenty workers in the house. They didn’t work twenty-four hours a day because they only served Dashiell, Darcy, and me. The rooms they cleaned daily were only ours; the other rooms were not.The servants liked to accompany my son while he played. They would be in the playroom, garden, or viewing room. Dashiell was never alone. Yet he felt he had no friends at home. I understood. The presence of servants was not the same as the role of a mother and a sibling.“You have a big responsibility if you have a younger brother, Dad,” I said.“What is responsibility, Dad?” he asked.“Responsibility is a task you must do. If you have a younger brother, you have some older brother’s responsibilities. Do you want to love your younger brother?”“Yes! I c
Sinclair held my hand and lowered it. I complied to avoid disrupting our dance. “I know this dance means a lot to you,” he said.I pressed my lips together and ended our dance. I could break free from him when we applauded the singer accompanying us. Before Sinclair could say anything, I turned and walked toward our table.But someone was standing in front of me, blocking my way. He turned and smiled at Sinclair. “May I dance with your woman?” Frederick asked.“You need her permission, not mine,” Sinclair corrected.The man turned to me. “Would you like to dance with me?” he asked.My heart raced at Sinclair's cold, slightly threatening tone, but I wasn't afraid. I placed my hand on Frederick's palm. “Sure,” I answered.I glanced at Sinclair before following the man to the dance floor. He only stared at me indifferently. Though the slow music accompanied us, Frida’s husband remained polite, keeping a distance between us. I followed his steps and didn’t take control.“Thank you for sav
[Darcy]I had to meet Mason on Monday. It was my only day off. If my guess about the Cullen inheritance was correct, I might have enough money to pay off my father's debt to Sinclair. I had to break away from that nightclub.I needed to meet with a lawyer I could trust to handle my divorce from Sinclair. I didn’t care if the man refused to sign the papers or withdraw the case from court. I would keep filing for divorce because I couldn’t forgive his mistake.Why should we stay together if I can’t stand to look at him or touch him? I was not God. I was only an ordinary human who couldn’t easily forgive such a great mistake.“Are you and Sinclair fighting again?” Kirsten asked, breaking my reverie.We had just finished practice. “Why do you say that?”“I know you’re living with him.” She glanced at my right hand. “You’re married.”I covered my hand with a towel. “Since we’re done practicing, may I leave?” I asked, changing the subject.Kirsten smiled meaningfully. “Of course. You need t